Power-driven wringer mechanism



i Patented Apr.l 3,1923. A

chines of the ltype wherein a power f UNITED STATES( PATENT oFFlcE.

'HAROLD E. SMITH, or CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, oHIo.

rowEn-nHrvEN wnrNGER MECHANISM.

Application mea August 24, 1920. j seriaino. 405,604.

tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to wringinilrI .ma-

riven wringer. is supported lfor rotation about a vertical axis, power connections being provided whereby the wringer rolls may be driven in any position of their adjustment.

-The operation of such a wringer is generally efl'ectedby 'means of a vertical shaft co-axial with the axis-of rotationV as a result of whichy any obstruction or resistance to the operation of the rolls 'tends to cause the entire wringer to swing about its axis sometimes with a considerable amount of force. Even the .resistance to rotation caused by the screwing d own of the rolls is enough to cause the wringer to inflict' a severe blow if the power be applied without `first; securing the wringer against movement.

The objects of the present invention are the provision of means operative automatically upon the connection of the power to the wringer for securing said wringer against swinging; the provision of such a combination of operating. and lat-ching de- ,vices as tov prevent the action of the former without the latter; the provision' of independent means for facilitating such auto-1' .matic latching action; t-he provision of a new, simple and inexpensive structure for performing the functions above indicated; while further objects. and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds. In the drawings accompanying and formlng j a part of this application, I haveshown certain illustrative embodiments of my invention although it will be understood that these drawin s are illustrative merely and are not intended to limtme to the particular constructions *therein shown. In these drawings, VFig.1 is a` vertical, sectional view of a. wringer operating mechanism embody,l

ing myimprovements; Fig. 2v is a sectional view .correspnding to the line 2-2 of Fig.4 l; Fig. 3, isa tcp plan view of the support corresponding to .the line-3-,3 of Fi 1; Fig. 4 is a' side elevation of -a mo ified struc-ture embodying my inventive n idea; Fig. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to the broken line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 1s a lvertical sectional view through: a modified form of bracket and operating means; Fig.

.l is a horizontal sectional view` corresponding to the line 7`7 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 ine is a, detail view corresponding to the 8-8 of Fig. 7.

' Describing the parts by reference charactens, 1 represents a' suitable support.. mounted upon any convenient base, such as the washing-machine casing 2, andhavin -a flat circular upper surface^3 formed wit 70 a central socket 4 communicatin with the passage 5 -in which is located t'e driving shaft 6. Rotatably. mounted on this support is the bracket 7 having attached thereto the wringer frame 8 and also having a 75 circular head 9 resting on the support 1 and formed with a neck 10 which ts in the socket 4. Mounted on the top of the'head 9'-is the hollow casing 12 havin at one side the hollow projection 13 exten ing towards 80 the wringer frame. J ournaled in vertical position in this casing is the shaft`14 which isoperatively connected to the shaft 6, pref-rf erably by a separable oint 15, and j ournaled in the projection 13 1s the horizontal shaft 85 16. to which is attached ,the driven roll 17 of the wringer. 18 represents the companion roll and 19 the tension spring. Rigidly secured to the shaft 16 -inside the casing 12 is the mitre gear 20 which meshes with the 90 similar gears 21 and`22 which are loosely sleeved on the shaft 14 and can be secured thereto in driving relation by the agency of the slidable clutch spool 23 which is splined on said shaft. This spool is moved by means of an eccentric nger 24 carried by a circular plate 25 which can be rocked by the handle' 26. B in one direction or t e other, the wringer rolls can be caused to turn in one vdirection 100.:

or the other, and when the handle is upright the wringer rolls remain at rest.

In order to fix the position of the wringer frame I have shown the bracketgl, asformed adjacent to itsupper surface vBmwitliga lurality .of lateral notches 30--30, here our in nul'nber, and cooperating -With these' lnotches I have shown a latch 31 pivoted between cheek pieces 32-32 carried by the head 9 and having an upwardl projecting 11d handle 33. This latch is pre erably provided with a closing spring 34 by which it iS rocking this handle engaged. Also I provide a totally independent latching device adapted to be moved into engaging position by the same movement as Athat which causes the engagement of the ytures orsockets in that support and prevent rotation of the wringer frame even though the latch 31 should be disengaged. In the present embodiment I have shown the latch 31 as entering the same socket or notch as does the latch-pin 35, this being for purposes of manufacturing convenience. The only purpose of the latch 3`1 is to assist in indexing the wringer frame and to hold the same in such a position thatthe pin 35 can be depressed without obstruction.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 employs the same support 1, bracket 7, head 9. casing 12, shaft 16, clutch handle 26, automatic latch 35, head 36, and cam 37. The auxiliary latch comprises two vertical reciproc-able pins 40-40 located one at each side of the casing and having heads 41 midway of their length against which press the springs 42 whose upper ends rest against integral shoulders 43 formed on the casing eX- terior. For disengaging these latching pins I have provided a yoke 44, pivoted upon. a horizontal axis 45, and having a laterally projecting handle 46 which, when depressed, raises the pins out of the sockets 47 with which the bracket is. provided. The pins 40-,40 are located upon opposite sides of the shaft 14, and the pin 35 half way between; the sockets 47 being likewise spaced 90O f apart, it will be seen that whenever the pins l 40 are in engaging position, the pin 35 is in register `with the intermediate socket, thereby permitting unimpeded engagement of die' wringer-clutch.

In" the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7 1 represents the socket and 2 the support therefor. but the bracket here takes the form of a hollow casing 51, one end of which is pivoted about the drive shaft 50, and the other end of which carries the wringer frame 52. Loosely sleeved about the shaft 50 are two spaced sheaves 53-53, and tightly secured to the wringer shaft 54 which traverses this casing horizontally are the sheaves 55. Each of the first sheaves is opera* tively connected to one of the last sheaves by means of an extensible, flexible, driving cable 56, tightening pulleys 57-57b`eing preferably employed for the triple purpose of holding the cables tight and causing them the sheaves 53.

Vtheir sockets.

to embrace a large part of the circumference of each sheave and of causing them to run more accurately toward and away from said sheaves.

Slidably mounted on the shaft 5() is the clutch spool 58 adapted to engage either of On opposite sides of the shaft 50 are -located the vertically movable locking pins 60 whose upper ends are articulated to the rocker 61 which is pivoted upon a horizontal linger 62 located between the sheaves 53. A clutch lever 64 has one end pivoted at 65 and the other end equipped with a yoke 66 engaging the clutch spool, its intermediate portion being connected by the link 67 to' the handle 68 whereby the clutch is moved in one direction or the other according to the way said handle is thrown. This clutch lever is also suitably attached at the point 70 to the rocker 61, so that when the clutch is in mid-position` the rocker is horizontal and neither pin projects beneath the surface of the casing; but when the clutch is moved in either direction, one or the other of said pins is depressed into engagement with the corresponding socket 71. In order-to facilitate such a setting of the casing as will bring these pins into alignment with their sockets I yhave shown one wall of the casing as provided with an integral boss 72 having mounted therein the round-nosed, spring-pressed plunger 73 adapted to snap into a suitable ldepression in the adjacent face of the supporting bracket at such times as the pins 60 register with In the present embodiment I have illustrated this plunger as located at 90 from the pins 60 and arranged to snap into one of the same sockets 7l, but this is a. mere detail adopted for manufacturing convenience.

It will be understood that while I have shown only four sockets or wringing stations the same might be increased to any number, or decreased if desired; also that the arrangement, design, and mounting of the latching devices can be changed; also that while I have described the illustrative embodiments with considerable particularity, I do not restrict myself to those particular constructions nor in any other way etcept as particularly recited in the attached c a1 s.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a wringer pivoted about a vertical axis and a driving member concentric with said axis for operating the same, of means for making and breaking the operative connection between said member and wringer, means operable by said irst means for latching said wringer in fixed position relatlvely to said vertical axis during the time that such operative connecr4aetin exists, and a spring pressed latch independent of said rst means for holding said wringer in position to be latched by the second named means.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a support, a vertical shaft journaled therein,l a Wringer pivoted for movement about a vertical axis concentric with said shaft, means including a clutch for connecting the wringer mechanism tol said shaft, a spring pressed latch adapted to hold said wringer against swingin and a latch operativel connected to said clutch forl holdin sai wringer independently of said first Algatch during the time that said clutch is engaged.

3. In -a device of the vcharacter described, the combination with a support and a bracket pivoted thereto,l rotating devices carried by said bracket, a drive shaft, power transmitting means carried by said bracket for connecting said rotating devices tol said drive shaft, s'aid means including a clutch, and a pair of independent latching devices a adapted and arranged to secure said bracket against pivotal movement, there being sockets for said latch members, one 'of said latch members operatively connected to said clutch so as to permit the engagement of said clutch only upon the insertion of such latch member into a socket, and the other latch member being -arranged to register with a socket simultaneously therewith.

4. In a device of .the character described, in :combinatiom two members pivoted together, a drive shaft concentric with the pivot axis, wringer mechanism carried by one of said members, disconnectible driving means between said shaft and Wringer mechanism, v-and two independent latch devices adapted to prevent relative rotation of said members, one of said latch devices operatively associated with the driving mechanism so as to-,be operative during the time lthat said shaft is connected to said mechanism, and the other adapted to hold said members in position to facilitate the engagement of said irst latch device.

5. I n a device of the character described,l in combination, two members pivoted together, a drive shaft-.concentric with the pivot axis, wringer mechanism carried by one of. said members, disconnectible driving means between said shaft and` wringer mechanism, and a pair of independent latching means for said members, each means comprising a movable device carried .by one member adapted to engage any one of a plurality. of sockets formed in the vother member, both of said latch devices registering each with a-socket at the same instant, one of the same being spring-pressed away from its socket and the other being springpressed toward its socket, means for inserting the former latch device into its socket by the same movement which connects said shaft to said wringer mechanism, and independent means for withdrawing the latter latch device out of its socket'.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiiix my signature.

i 1'. OLD E. SMITH- 

